Hello family and friends, Please join the Soter family in a Celebration of Tom’s Life on his birthday, Friday, October 23rd, 2020. As is the protocol in these times, we will be meeting virtually, on Zoom. Here are the details:
For many years Tom has been celebrating his birthday in California with Nick, Dora, Eva, Zoë and friends. His favorite way to celebrate was to gather friends and family and read aloud from his books. So we are inviting those who are interested to read a short passage or story from one of Tom’s many books and share briefly with us what you loved about him. Let us know ASAP if you would like to honor Tom in this way. If you’d prefer not to read, but want to say something brief, please let us know that as well. We have limited time for people to share, so there may not be space for everyone to speak on Friday. If we run out of time and you’d still like to say something, please add your messages of love and remembrance here on this site. This will be available for friends and family to see at any time. Lastly, please have a white candle with you for Friday’s event. We will light it together to celebrate Tom's birthday and a life well lived. We hope to see you on Friday. Love, Tom’s family.
Giving
Charitable Donations in Honor of Tom Soter
Select a charity of your choice or another one that was personally meaningful to Tom Soter
We created this memorial to celebrate the life of Tom Soter. Collecting your stories and memories here will offer us great comfort and hopefully be a source of connection for all of us who have known and loved Tom. Thank you for contributing to this lasting memorial.
When I first moved to New York City, Tommy, my cousin, was my guide to the city. He had a movie-maker's flare for location, and chose all the places that you need to see, even if, or especially because, they are cliches of New York. We went to the Empire... moreWhen I first moved to New York City, Tommy, my cousin, was my guide to the city. He had a movie-maker's flare for location, and chose all the places that you need to see, even if, or especially because, they are cliches of New York. We went to the Empire State Building, my first (and maybe only?) time. (Way before Turner Classics, he loved classic black and white movies, especially Hitchcock, and I'm sure he had seen the original version of "An Affair to Remember" many times.) He introduced me to street hotdogs, something my mother never would have allowed me to have, but which I thought tasted great. We wandered through Riverside Park after midnight one night for blocks and blocks while returning to 404 Riverside Drive. I still remember feeling sort of scared in the park -- in those days it was dangerous -- but we had so much fun, too. Tom always spoke in a kind of wry patter, with a glint in his eye, like the improv impresario he later became. When he was young, he wore a trench coat, a bit worse for wear. I thought at the time that it was some kind of private-school affectation. But looking back now, I realize it was more likely an homage to his spy-show heroes, probably Roger Moore, maybe even The Man From Uncle or the Pink Panther. He had style, a sensibility I think he got in part from his advertising creative director father, George. That's how I remember Tommy -- attentive, playful and stylish. less
https://youtu.be/6MlpKoiJXDs -- just put together this brief film of Tom reminiscing and talking about his family and his three oldest friends, of whom I was privileged to be one.
Tom Soter, who passed away on August 14, 2020, was a good friend to three contemporaries - Alan Saly, Tom Sinclair, and Christian Doherty. In this interview he remembers his friends and some of the main themes of his life.